Teoh and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs (Citizenship)

This matter concerned an application for Australian citizenship by Mr Jana Teoh, a Malaysian national and permanent resident of Australia. Mr Teoh had applied for conferral of citizenship, but his application was refused by a delegate of the Minister on character grounds. Mr Teoh sought a review of this decision before the Tribunal.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether Mr Teoh met the character requirements for the conferral of Australian citizenship under the relevant legislation. This involved assessing whether Mr Teoh was of "good character" for the purposes of section 21(2) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 1948* (Cth), considering his past convictions for traffic offences and more serious offences involving the possession of firearms and child pornography.

The Tribunal found that, despite the serious nature of some of the offences committed by Mr Teoh, particularly those involving child pornography and firearms, these occurred many years prior to his application. The Tribunal considered the enduring moral quality of Mr Teoh, noting his long-term self-employment, participation in community activities, and the passage of time since the offences. Applying the principles of good character, the Tribunal concluded that Mr Teoh was of good character for the purposes of the Act.

Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the delegate's decision to refuse the application and, in substitution, approved Mr Teoh's application for Australian citizenship under section 24(1) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 1948* (Cth).